Routing in BaseCamp/MapSource

[glendeni]

I've created a routable map and as an alternative to a direct file install to the GPS I'm providing a BaseCamp/MapSource installation file (created by NSIS).  After executing the installation file, the map displays fine in BaseCamp/MapSource and using it to transfer the map to the GPS allows one to route via trails/roads on the GPS just as the directly installed file does.

But I find that I cannot create a non-direct route in BaseCamp/MapSource.  I don't have previous experience trying to create an "on road" route using the software so don't know exactly what to expect, but I believe I am invoking it correctly.  I create two waypoints at two "camp" icons along a trail, then click the "Route" tool and drag them to the "Start Point" and "Destination" boxes of the popup window - and end up with a straight magenta line between the two.  [FWIW I note that I cannot drag the icon directly to the popup window box - I can only drag a waypoint I've created at that position.]

I'd appreciate any feedback from someone who has created a routable map as to whether non-direct routing works in BaseCamp/MapSource for your map.

Jack

[Seldom]

Assuming your map routing works in gpsmapedit, are you sure you have the correct profile set in BaseCamp?  Try the hiking profile.  The results you are getting could be caused by a Direct profile.

[glendeni]

Thanks for your reply.  I've never used gpsmapedit and don't know what it does. I'm pretty sure that the IMG file I'm producing for the GPS is correct, since it works on a GPSMAP60, an Oregon 450, and a GPSMAP62 and I've never had it fail to route on-road on any of those (though the Oregon sometimes seems to ignore the "no car" restrictions in "automobile" activity).  And I've checked the network nodes for consistency.

On further thought, I believe the problem lies in cpreview not completing properly, hence not producing valid indexing for MapSource/BaseCamp.  (I've checked different activities on both BaseCamp and MapSource and none produces non-direct routing.)  On my Windows 7 64-bit, when I run MapsetToolkit, at the cpreview step a Windows popup says "cpreview.exe has stopped working". the last standard output line from cpreview itself being a warning "Indexing IMG files which are using 6bit label coding may result in NON working index!" - so cpreview is not ending normally. I've also testing running cpreview in command line mode with the same result.  I had noted that I was not getting a _MDR file (but am getting idx, reg, MDX, and TDB files), but I read that that file is used for "global indexing" and since I only had a single map file I'd hoped that an _MDR file might not be necessary.  But with BaseCamp/MapSource routing not working, the premature termination of cpreview is likely the reason.  So I think I'm out of luck so far as producing a routable BaseCamp/MapSource file with my setup - the BC/MS file will have to just be for display (an actual trial finds that the GPS map file produced using BaseCamp/MapSource _is_ routable on the GPS).  All in all, not having a routable BaseCamp/MapSource file isn't that big an issue so long as the GPS files are routable.

[Seldom]

What are you using for a map editor?  Suggest you set Lblcoding=9 and CodePage=1252.

Also, rather than calling cpreview via MapSetToolKit, you might try to just run it from a batch file.

Code Select Expand

path=c:\program files\cgpsmapper;%path%
cpreview yourmap.txt 
cgpsmapper yourmap.mp
pause
This works reliably for me.  The cgpsmapper line compiles the TDB and background.IMG files.

[popej]

You don't need index in Mapsource for map to be routable.

Are you sure, that in your GPS routing is based on your map and not on some other map which is active at the same time?

Is your map transparent? Mapsource doesn't create routes on transparent map, but it works in GPS.

[glendeni]

for Seldom:

I guess that by "map editor" you are really asking how I get my .mp file.  Rather than start from scratch, I'm creating my .mp file with a script which inputs point and line data I'd already created for another purpose, an on-line trailmap (http://bigsurtrailmap.net), and outputs a .mp file.  In particular, I'd already done my own network analysis (http://bigsurtrailmap.net/route_metrics.html) so could use that data to provide the nodes and associated line index for each node required in the .mp file.

I will try a re-run with your suggested Codepage & Lblcoding so no no stone is left unturned.

By "running cpreview in command line mode" (which gave the same premature termination result as MapsetToolkit) I think I was doing what you suggest in your last paragraph, albeit from a command window rather than in a script file.

Jack

[glendeni]

for Popej:

Thanks for your input.  No other maps are  in any of the GPS's I've used for testing.  I do indeed have a transparent map - I didn't know could be a problem for routing.  Will try creating a non-transparent map.

Jack

[glendeni]

PS: FWIW below is the header from the .mp file I created - but will now be changing that based on the input provided.

; Generated by convert.kml2mp.pl from ../create.trailmap.kml
[IMG ID]
ID=52652601
Name=Big Sur Trailmap
Preprocess=N
TreSize=500
TreMargin=0.00000
RgnLimit=1024
Transparent=Y
POIIndex=Y
Levels=5
Level0=24
Level1=21
Level2=18
Level3=17
Level4=16
Zoom0=0
Zoom1=1
Zoom2=2
Zoom3=3
Zoom4=4
[END-IMG ID]

[glendeni]

PPS: sorry, got confused when looking through my .mp files and gave a pre-routing version.  My latest one does include " Routing=Y"!

[glendeni]

Today I added the following lines to my .mp file:
  Transparent=N
  CodePage=1252
  Lblcoding=9
and went through the MapSource install process using MapsetToolkit. The first (pleasant) surprise was that cpreview ran without the "cpreview.exe has stopped executing" messages from Windows 7 that I had _always_ gotten since I had added "Routing=Y" (but had never had before with "Routing=N").  And I found that an _MDR file was now created, as had not been true when cpreview was terminating abnormally.  The second (even more pleasant) surprise was that the routing now worked in MapSource!

I then went back and removed the last 2 lines added and redid the process with the same result.  I then removed the first line and put back in the last 2 - cpreview still completed without problems but the map was not routable in MapSource.  So trying to create a routable transparent map was the problem.  Thanks to Popej for his message, else I would have likely never resolved the problem!  Very glad I brought the problem to this forum!

One remaining puzzle for me is that in all my trials today I never had a cpreview abnormal termination problem, whereas before I had _always_ had that problem after adding "Routing=Y".  I can't figure out what is different this time.  I have made a few very minor changes in my roads/trails since the previous attempts, but in so doing did not find anything would would indicate a problem with the network node information I was previously using.  I have shut down and restarted my PC since that time.  Likely the cause will remain a mystery unless it happens again, but at least now I have the positive knowledge that cpreview _will_ work on my PC with "Routing=Y".

Thanks again for your help.

Jack